Bumper



Aug. 14, 1923. 1,464,603

' C. GIRL ET AL 'BuuPsn %d Oct. 24, 1921 w? Patented Aug. 14, 1923.

UNITED STATES PA' I'ENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN GIRL AND WAYNE E. DUNSTON. OF KALAMAZOO, AND JOHN G. UTZ, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

numrnn.

Application tiled October 24, 1921. Serial No. 509,183.

Be it known that we. t'musrun' (inn. and YAYYI. E. Urns-rosy citizens of the I nited States, residing at Kalamazoo. in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, and JonNG. UTZ. a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented cer- Lain new and i useful Imprmements in Bumpers. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to bumpers such as are em loyed with automobiles. and more particu arly to bumpers of the flat spring plate type. The gcneral'objcct of the invention is to provide 2 bumper of this character which is particularly economical of production and efficient in operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a bumper which is especially adaptable for use with light cars. and more especially cars of the Ford type.

In the drawings forminp part hereof, Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a bumper con structed in accordance with our invention, together with the cooperating front portion of an automobile of the Ford type and the Connections for securing a bumper thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bumper and of the supporting means therefor as shown in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 a detail in section corresponding to the line tt -fi of Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Describing the various part by rcl'crence cl'iuructcrs and. for convenience of descrip tion. referring to the im nutrccciring portion of thc bumper as tbc front portion thereof, l dcnotcs :1 continuous that spring plate constituting the front. or impact-rcceiving. plate ol the bumper. This plate is provided at each cud with an eye or loop 2 for the purposes of strengthening slit-h ends as well as affording means for ready disengagement. with an object which may be encountered thereby. This loop or eye is wide and rounded at its outer end and is tapered inwardly from such end toward the inner end. \vhe eby the disengagement referred to is facilitated.

Secured to the front plate 1 in a manner to be described hereinafter is tt rear plate 3. This plate extends nearly to the end loops or eyes 2 and has its extreme ends beveled and rcversely tapered. as indicated at 3,

whereby the ends of the bumper which project beyond the clamping means oppose a progressively increasing yielding resistance to blows or impacts received upon such ends.

The plates 1 and 3 are connected together and supported by means of clamps and spring arms. Each spring arm is indicated at 4 and each comprises a portion extending rearwardly or towards the body of the vehicle from the plates 1 and 3 and substantially at right angles thereto, each such rearwardly extending portion being upwardly bent or deflected at its inner or rear portion, as indicated at 4, such deflection being for the purpose of supporting the impact section of the bumper at a proper height with respect to tin-roadway and at the same time enabling the bumper to be secured to the cross member of a car of the Ford type. Each of the spring arms 4 has its outer end bent outwardly. as shown at 4", and is provided in such out-turned end with an eve 4". whereby it is connected to the plates 1 and 3 by means of a. b0lt.5 extending through the members 6 and 7 of a clamp. This clamp may be'of any desired construction, but is preferably constructed in the manner shown and described in the appl cation of \Vaync ll. Dunstan No. 491,110, filed August to, 1921. The clamp comprises a. pair of verti al portions, each having an inwardly projected upper end 6. 7, respectively. and the inner member 6 having an inwardly extending bottom projection 6", the said ends and projection forming a support. for the eye 4 and the bolt 5, the bot toms of the vertical portions being connectcd by bolts 8.

The inner, or rear end. portion 4 of each of the sprint: arms is riveted or otherwise secu ed within a seat 9 of a bracket 9 which is secured to the appropriate end portion of the cross member or bolster 10 by means of U-holts 11. Each of the brackets 9 is also provided with a projection 9 which is adapted to receive one of the arms or brackets of another U-bolt adapted tb extend" around the front fender bracket of an auto-- mobile of the Ford type.

By the construction and arrangement of the plates 1 and 3, impacts received upon the ends of the former plate are yieldingly transmitted by the beveled and reversely taered ends 3 to the plate 3. Furthermore, the hinged connection between each of the arms 4 11nd the ()Utkl portion of thtfender proper enables motion to ho UUltSllllltE'tl from either end portion of the huiiiper (hw tween thv frnimand the whvel) to the ventcr of lllt bumper. and in turn from iit-h portion of the bumpvr to the iuiiiuinilur thvreoft In addition. the spring arms 4 PHL vide a yivhling connection lit-tween the i-uiii in and the lliIlL't'S tlll'l'QUf :iiul thv cross llltln ltt'l' of thu vehit'lv.

llaviin, thiiilvscrihml our invention. what we claim is: i

l. A bumper hiivin; an lll|]|t1(l t'cliuil comprising u "at yivhluhlv plate atlilpttll to oktt-nil uci'oss :1 vehicle. aml a rt-iiifoi't-iiig plate secured to the roar of the first mentioned plate and having it t'lltlS within aiul in proximity to the ends of sui-h plate. the (Dds (if the svvonml [)ltllv living of )I0f 'rt. sively increasing strvngth from t'hv uiit r ends theivof inwardly. and supporting nivm bors pivotully tfinlltl'tt' l to J =iitl section with in the ends of the second plate.

2. bumper t'oiiipi'i.'-in; :1 flat vivhlnhle plate adapted to vxtvnd tlt'l'lbi tl whit-l0. a reinforcing plate at [lit' l'till of tho fiii-t Illl'lltinned plutv ulltl h:'.vin; its t'll(l \viliiiii illll in proximity to tho wink of ll 'll 1'lillo. u. pair of damp: r iini-vtiiig tllt sziiil' plutvs within Elll l spuvwl from tho finds of the seconii plate. zi pi-in r :H'lll pivoiiilly mnnvctvd Hi cat-h oi -:iiti vhiiiips. Llllil means for Stttlling Utltil of Silltl :1!ll1. to u Illtlllill of such \t hiclu. 

